4. It Challenged The Original Film's Ideas
In Tron, "The User" was a myth; a God waiting to be discovered by the digital masses. It wasn't until Kevin Flynn started nosing about the Master Control Program's business that he was zapped into their realm, proving to them that there was hope in the form of a divine hand. Granted, these were already heady themes for a Sci Fi movie, but nothing that hadn't already been delved into before. Still, if the original's idea was that The User is God; then the sequel had the idea to explore what would happen if God's own creation not only turned its back on him, but also rebelled openly against him. Replacing the conflict between Kevin Flynn and the MCP was, ultimately, a conflict between Flynn and himself. CLU is everything he would be if he were inhibited by the parameters of a program's unemotional growth. Without a sense of apathy, charity, or even humor; Flynn would be all consumed with his innovative spirit to conquer any frontier and plant his flag in the name of himself. We see this with the mirroring of his ENCOM press conference and CLU's eve of destruction speech to his troops. Counterbalancing this is Sam, who is quite the Flynn himself and enhanced with all of those qualities CLU doesn't have. Instead of just another simple "Good vs. Evil" plot, we're treated to a story that tells the dangers of unchecked ambition, the strength of family ties, and most of all, a boy finally getting to see his father for one more day.